"I hope Kanye took advantage": the day center with its own recording studio | Society

IOn Friday morning, at 11:00, you will hear strange and wonderful psychedelic sounds from a small improvised music studio in North London. Inside, Patricia Angol plays the xylophone, Mui Tang touches a Kaoss Pad – an audio effects unit – and Fathima Maharali sings in a mic. When they finish, their session leader, Jack Daley, plays the violin on a computer, overlaying each music section before playing it. There are smiles and high five in all.

Daley is a music producer who works at the Daylight Center for Adults with Learning Disabilities, managed by the Islington Board. Two years ago, he began group sessions and composing and producing electronic music with service users. Since then, countless lyrics have been written, one EP has been released (another is about to be released) and a video animation clip accompanies the title, Watermelon Fantasy. Everything has been produced by people attending the center with the help of creative professionals.

36-year-old Tina Bruins, Watermelon Fantasy user. She has always loved listening to music and has taken the opportunity to record her own music. "I like doing this because I am frustrated and bored at home," she says. The Bruins, who have behavioral problems, also enjoy the sessions because they are an outlet for his anger: "It's a liberation for me and it stops me from getting lost and being thrown out." Daley adds: Helps to focus and get out of his head. She has a lot of energy and does not have the resources to use it positively when she leaves the center. "

Daley fell into this category after completing a masters degree in music production four years ago. He had experience in health care and came to the center originally, as an alternative, until he found a job in the field of the music. He spotted a room that was used for storage and asked him if he could make a studio. The center has a fund of activities that has allowed him to spend around £ 3,000 on recording material, and he has not seen it since. "There is a tie in doing artistic and creative work with these guys because they interact emotionally," he says. "They are free and open to exploring instruments. It's so authentic, even if the music ends up looking really weird. "

Olly Price, a professional songwriter who runs a label and also conducts sessions at the center, worked with Daley and service users on some of the music. He says, "Some tracks are unique and amazing. It's stimulating listening and I hope people will appreciate it on this basis. There are also some tracks that have a cross call. They are universally eye-catching, strange and wonderful. "

Price and Daley see this more than just making music. Sessions are a way of empowering people, encouraging them to talk about their lives, build their self-esteem and connect with others.

The Bruins and other people in the center are lucky to be able to benefit from this type of activity. In the UK, the landscape of people with intellectual disabilities is bleak. Austerity is hard on councils that fund day centers. A recent study found that the funds available to support people with learning disabilities are insufficient and that the cuts have been detrimental to their families and caregivers. Individuals have lost social support and are experiencing increased social isolation.

Price, who also runs a company that sends musicians to day centers and retirement homes around London, has witnessed the deterioration of this environment. "It's devastating. Where I used to go to many day centers 12 years ago, we do not really do it anymore. Many have withered on the vines because people can no longer afford to visit them. "

He thinks part of the reason is that people with learning disabilities are "pretty invisible." He says, "They are in a bubble that the rest of the public do not see and I think this is related to why they lost a lot of their funding. They are not an effective lobby group and they do not have a strong voice to defend themselves. "

He adds: "They are people who do not fit in the normal boxes of society. I think this is captured in these tracks. I hope people will see that. I hope Kanye West picks up one of the samples and makes it a worldwide phenomenon. "